Renamon's Wish
by Buretsu
Summary: Renamon gets her wish in Episode 10, but at what price? PG-13: Language, violence
1. Episode 10: Renamon's Wish

Rika once again felt the same odd chill that she had felt several times in the past few hours. Her breath was visible for a second before she retreated to the safety of her room. Breathing heavily, she called for Renamon. As always, the fox digimon appeared immediately.  
  
"Yes, Rika?" Renamon asked, fading into sight. She was worried about Rika; Rika seemed to feel something was watching her lately.  
  
"Go and see what's out there, okay?" Rika requested, her voice shakier than ever.  
  
"As you wish," her digimon responded, opening the door and looking out. She saw nothing and went back inside the room. This was getting worse.  
  
"Well, who was it?" Rika demanded.  
  
"No one," Renamon told her. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, save Rika's behavior of late.  
  
"Don't lie to me!" Rika said, raising her voice to an accusing level. "I know something's out there."  
  
Renamon paused, hurt at the suggestion that she would lie to Rika.  
  
Rika lowered her eyes, asking, "What's that look for?"  
  
"Don't worry," Renamon assured her. "I'll do everything I can to protect you."  
  
"You don't need to protect me," Rika said angrily, rising to her feet in front of Renamon. "I don't know why you even say stuff like that!"  
  
"Because, Rika, I'm your partner," Renamon tried to explain, despite the fact she didn't fully know how to be a good partner.  
  
"Let's get this straight, I don't buy all this stuff about partners and feelings," Rika said, her words cutting through to Renamon's heart. The hurt look on Renamon's face said more than her words could.  
  
Rika seemed to falter before Renamon's hurt expression. "Uhh. I don't need you. I don't need anybody."  
  
With those words, she left the room, leaving Renamon alone with her pain. She paused a moment before she vanished once again, reappearing on the roof of the house. For the next several hours, she walked through the night across power lines and telephone lines. She settled down on top of a nearby building to think.  
  
"Terriermon and his Tamer - their relationship is so different from mine and Rika's. I wonder. If I acted more human, would she accept me? Would she finally let me get close to her?"  
  
"More than that, if I was human, would I be able to be closer to her?"  
  
"An interesting desire," a voice near her said. Renamon jumped to her feet, trying to discover who had been listening in. She suspected that little pest Impmon.  
  
"No, I am not Impmon," the voice said, seeming to read her mind. "I am merely a third party observer. However, I am not without my power. Shall we explore this desire to be human? Let us see what will unfold."  
  
Renamon felt herself being lifted into the air. The external layer of data that served as her flesh and fur separated from her core, not unlike when she was digivolving. Her hands passed in front of her vision, and she watched as three clawed fingers split into five skinnier peach- colored fingers, tipped with much smaller claws.  
  
Her legs straightened out, her feet shortening and flattening out, becoming the same peach color as her new hands. Her face compressed, her ears shortening and moving to the sides of her newly rounded head. Renamon's tail detached from her body, forming into long strands of golden hair, tipped in white. The hair attached itself to the top of her head.  
  
Renamon's midsection grew larger, decreasing the difference between it and her hips, as her thighs grew more slender. The rest of the data from her body reformed into more peach flesh, which settled around her torso. In the space of less than a heart beat, Renamon the digimon became Renamon the woman, kneeling on the roof of the building.  
  
"A most intriguing development, wouldn't you say? Although, some clothes would be appropriate."  
  
With a start, Renamon realized that her new human body was nude, save a pair of familiar long purple gloves, the only thing linking this new form to her old one. She shivered in the chill of the night air briefly, before more data formed warm clothes about her new body. She looked over her new attire. A long yellow dress down to just below her knees covered her now soft flesh. A shock of fur on the neck of her dress represented Renamon's mane of white hair. Long white boots covered her feet, with black stripes on the toe representing her former claws.  
  
"Much better. Now, I release you to explore the freedom offered by this new body. Be warned however, some things will not be the same.." The voice faded into nothingness, leaving Renamon alone to look over her new body. She approved of it; it was different, yet it still suited her.  
  
"I must find Rika, show her my new self. She will be pleased." Renamon concentrated, willing herself to Rika as she had done plenty of times in the past. The only result of her effort was a headache.  
  
'.some things will not be the same..'  
  
The mysterious voice echoed in Renamon's head. This must have been what it had meant. Renamon decided to test out her new abilities, see what this body could do. She found that her jumping ability was greatly reduced, as was her speed. There was one major benefit to the change however; she was able to walk through the streets, garnering no more looks than any other normal human. She wouldn't have to hide herself.  
  
As she made her way through the crowd, Renamon heard talk about strange ice that had appeared at the top of a building.  
  
'That has to be a digital field. And where there's a field, there's a digimon, and likely Rika too."  
  
This thought was enough to send her running towards where she heard about the building. It wasn't hard to find, as the top part of it was encased in solid ice. A fire escape led up to the top, which Renamon sprinted up. Even in her warm clothing, she shivered in the cold.  
  
She emerged to an odd scene. A large white digimon was holding on to Rika with abnormally long arms. Henry, Takato and their digimon were facing off against him. Renamon could just hear their conversation.  
  
"Ice Devimon. Woah. A champion fallen-angel digimon," Henry read off of his digivice.  
  
"And I thought you didn't have any friends," the digimon holding Rika, Ice Devimon according to the digivice, responded.  
  
"Let her go now!" Takato demanded. Takato's bravado often got in the way of his better judgement, Renamon remembered.  
  
"My new Tamer and I were just getting acquainted," Ice Devimon told him.  
  
'His new Tamer? But, Rika's my Tamer,' Renamon thought.  
  
"She's not your Tamer, Rika has Renamon," Takato told the fallen-angel.  
  
"Yeah, you tell him Takato," Renamon said to herself.  
  
"I think it's time for a little upgrade, don't you?" Ice Devimon replied.  
  
"Let me go you frozen freak!" Rika yelled, struggling to free herself from Ice Devimon's cold grip.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Takato asked, turning to Henry. Henry was ever the logical one, no matter how much trouble it got him into.  
  
"This is not going to be easy," Henry said, thinking. "He's much stronger than any digimon we've ever defeated before. What we really need is an effective strategy to deal with him."  
  
"Like a kick in the pants," Terriermon put in.  
  
"I wish it were that easy. Hmm."  
  
"Ready Guilmon?" Takato asked his digimon. Guilmon nodded. "Go get him!"  
  
"Ready, set, and go!" Guilmon dashed after the evil digimon.  
  
"Here's your chance, Terriermon," Henry told his partner.  
  
"It's about time."  
  
Together, Guilmon and Terriermon took off running towards Ice Devimon.  
  
"Goody, goody, time to fight," Ice Devimon said, firing off a powerful ice beam from his eyes towards the two. They were frozen in place incased in a solid lump of ice.  
  
"Guilmon, no!" Takato cried.  
  
"Terriermon!" Henry yelled.  
  
'I've got to help them!' Renamon decided. 'But I don't know if or how I can.'  
  
Renamon tried to run out and help the closest things to friends she had, but she was stuck to the spot.  
  
Ice Devimon laughed maliciously, one hand still clutching Rika.  
  
"This doesn't look good, not good at all," Calumon said, coming from nowhere.  
  
Henry and Takato picked up whatever they could find and tried to break the block of ice.  
  
"Got to.. get them.. out of there," Takato grunted, smashing at the ice with a cement block  
  
"I hear one becomes quite warm just before freezing," Ice Devimon gloated.  
  
"You're so twisted it's scary," Henry told him, pulling out his digivice and a card. He slid the card through the slot. "Digimodify! Heat Activate!" he cried, giving Terriermon the fiery body of a Meramon.  
  
"Uhh," Henry said, disappointed at the failure of his plan.  
  
Takato continued trying to chip away at the ice block, Renamon silently cheering him on from the shadows. If she couldn't help, she knew one of those two most certainly could.  
  
"I don't get it, where's Renamon?" Henry asked.  
  
Renamon wanted to cry out that she was here, that she was watching, but she couldn't.  
  
"Renamon's gone," Rika said sadly, remembering her ill treatment of Renamon earlier that day. "Even if I called her, she wouldn't come."  
  
Renamon struggled to call out to her Tamer, tell Rika that she was already there.  
  
"But, Rika, why not?" Takato asked.  
  
Rika continued to struggle to get away from Ice Devimon.  
  
"Come on Rika, fess up, did you two have a fight?" Ice Devimon taunted. "Just proves she's too weak to handle a special Tamer like you."  
  
Rika finally freed herself from Ice Devimon's clutches, but she knew Renamon wasn't going to save her.  
  
"You need a partner who understands you, who appreciates you, and who craves your cold strength."  
  
Rika gasped. It was true, everything the digimon had said was true. Renamon didn't care for her, or she would have shown up. Renamon, watching from a distance still could not move to help.  
  
"Embrace the future I offer you!"  
  
"Renamon," Rika said faintly, but nothing happened. Renamon didn't show up to save her. Now, there was only one way to gain the strength she coveted.  
  
"I will. I wish to be your Tamer!"  
  
"Rika! You can't mean that!" Takato gasped. Renamon wanted to scream in pain at her loss, to run to Rika, maybe slap some sense into her, but she still couldn't move. Could it be fear that was holding her back?  
  
"I can, and I do! Ice Devimon simply told me what I already knew, that strength is everything. The fact that Renamon abandoned me proves that feelings have no place for a Tamer," Rika told them, even as she wanted to throw up at what she was saying. If she just kept telling herself that, it wouldn't hurt so much  
  
"And the first order of business as your partner is to take care of these nuisances," Ice Devimon said, grinning evilly, as he advanced towards Henry, Takato and the two frozen digimon.  
  
"No," Rika said, not loudly, but firmly.  
  
"Oh come on, don't tell me you've gone soft on me already?"  
  
"There's no point to absorbing their data. More trouble than it's worth."  
  
"Very well," Ice Devimon relented, placing a hand on Rika's shoulder. Before everyone's eyes, the duo disappeared. Renamon felt that she could move if she wanted to. She didn't want to.  
  
"Come on Takato, we've got to get these guys out before we do anything. I've got an idea," Henry said, pulling out another card.  
  
"Digimodify! Expansion Activate!" he called out, slashing another card through his digivice. Terriermon inflated quickly, breaking out of the ice before reverting to normal size.  
  
"Rika.. can't have meant it! How could she abandon Renamon like that?"  
  
"Maybe," Henry suggested, "Renamon abandoned her first?"  
  
'NO!' Renamon screamed in her head. 'I didn't leave her, I could never do that to her! I love her!'  
  
'I love her.' the thought had come out of nowhere and caught her by surprise.  
  
"I love her," she said softly to herself. "But she thinks I deserted her. Maybe I did. Rika." she faded into silence, and her body was racked with sobs. Soon, tears were flowing down her face, and she was powerless to stop them.  
  
"That can't be it," Takato said. "Renamon would never do anything like that."  
  
Suddenly, Guilmon's ears perked up, and he began sniffing the air.  
  
"What is it, boy?" Takato asked him. "Is there another digimon nearby? Maybe it's Renamon!"  
  
"No, it's not a digimon, but it is nearby. There!"  
  
Guilmon pointed with a claw in Renamon's direction.  
  
"Come on!" Takato said, running where Guilmon pointed.  
  
"Haven't we done enough running today?" Terriermon protested.  
  
"Quiet, Terriermon," Henry told the talkative little digimon. "There!"  
  
The quartet of humans and digimon came upon a strange sight. A young lady was seated against the wall. She had her legs pulled into her chest, and she was crying her eyes out.  
  
"Who are you?" Henry asked. Renamon heard that, and looked up at them, her eyes bloodshot from crying for so long.  
  
"Ohhh, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Guilmon asked, a sad look coming over his face. He was always the emphatic type, constantly channeling the emotions of others.  
  
Renamon sprang to her feet and sprinted away from them, running off into the night, still crying. The other Tamers gave chase, but Renamon managed to elude them.  
  
"She's. too fast," Henry gasped. "Did she look familiar to you?"  
  
"No, but she did look cute to me," Takato told him.  
  
"It's getting late. We'd better head home before our parents sends out the military to look for us," Henry said, picking up Terriermon and running back home.  
  
"Come on Guilmon, let's go," Takato said.  
  
"But, Takato, what about Renamon?" Guilmon wondered.  
  
"I'm sure wherever she is, she's fine," Takato told him, as much to reassure his digimon as to reassure himself. "I'll see you tomorrow, Guilmon."  
  
Takato walked back towards his parent's bakery where they lived, Guilmon heading back to his 'cave'. Renamon watched them go from the shadow of an alleyway. She ran off into the night, tears still streaming down her face, obscuring her vision. She ended up literally running into a group of rough looking men.  
  
"Lookit what we gots here," the lead man drawled, alcohol stinking his breath. "A pretty little thing all alone in the night. It's not safe out here, you know."  
  
Renamon curled her lip, revealing rounded teeth instead of the sharp ones she had as a digimon. It didn't have as much effect.  
  
"And she's a feisty one too. I likes 'em feisty," the man told her, signaling to his boys. They each grabbed an arm and held on tight. Renamon struggled but she couldn't get free. The man reached up with one hand to brush the side of her face, and she tried to bite him.  
  
"But not too feisty," he amended, moving his hand across and down the neckline of her dress. Renamon pushed backward trying to get away from his hand, but the men holding her arms squeezed harder, and she grunted in pain. The lead man got in closer, and Renamon could smell his breath.  
  
The man brought his mouth closer to Renamon's, and adrenaline kicked in. She brought her knees up, putting her feet together. She flipped backwards in the men's grasp, bringing her feet up under the lead man's chin. His head snapped back, and he stumbled, tripping and landing hard. Renamon continued the flip, her feet touching the ground behind the two men, her arms twisting free. She shoved the men forward, sending them falling to the ground beside the leader.  
  
The men got up, nursing bruises. They refused to give up, circling around her.  
  
"You're going to pay for that, you little.." The lead man spat as he said that. He charged at Renamon, head first. She sidestepped, and he ran into a wall. The other two advanced on her, swinging wildly. She ducked their arms, responding with an uppercut to one, sending him crashing into the ground. The other man tried to shove his foot through Renamon's chest, but she cut his leg, and swept the other out from under him. He fell, smacking the back of his head hard against the pavement. All three men were laid out, either unconscious or close to it.  
  
She went over to the lead man's prone form, and raised her foot to finish him off and load his data. She paused as she heard herself think that. She wasn't a digimon, and neither was the man. She walked away as the adrenaline left her body, leaving her shaken. She had almost killed the man, as she had done with countless digimon in the past. As she crossed into a patch of woods, she realized that there was a fine line between self- defense and murder that she had very nearly crossed. Did she cross it when she fought other digimon with Rika?  
  
The thought of Rika brought the tears back to her eyes. She found that she was very tired. She curled up into a ball on the forest floor, shivering as she fell into a dream filled sleep. In her dreams, the multitude of digimon whose data she had absorbed haunted her, accusing her of their murder. She tossed and turned all through the night, until morning came the next day. 


	2. Episode 11: Lady in Yellow

Henry and Terriermon walked through the crowd; the digimon perched on top of Henry's head, doing his best impersonation of a stuffed animal. He was complaining about Henry's sister's treatment of him, when a strange fog rolled in near the bridge, which Henry recognized as a digital field.  
  
"Here they come," Henry said.  
  
"Digimon!" Terriermon added.  
  
Henry simply sighed and watched it unfold. He didn't move from the spot.  
  
"I realize how nice the view is from up here," Terriermon told him, "but how long do you think it'll stay this way if we don't check it out?"  
  
With that, the little white and green digimon sprinted off towards the bioemerging digimon.  
  
"Hey, Terriermon, wait!" Henry said, chasing after him.  
  
"Come on, Henry!"  
  
Henry caught up and grabbed hold of Terriermon's ear.  
  
"Gotcha!"  
  
"Hey, that hurt," Terriermon complained, trying to free himself.  
  
"We've gotta go home now!" Henry told him, letting go of the ear  
  
"What?"  
  
"We're going home!"  
  
"Wait a minute, please don't tell me you've changed your mind about Susie and that tutu, because I won't do it!" With that, Terriermon once again tried to run off, but Henry grabbed his ear again.  
  
"Henry, let me go, I wanna see it!"  
  
"Terriermon how many times do I have to tell you?"  
  
"I'll look, I won't touch!" Terriermon protested, still struggling to get away  
  
"Will you stop? Why don't we let someone else handle this for a change?"  
  
As he said that, Henry watched a white shape fly overhead and into the digital field.  
  
"What is that?" he wondered.  
  
"Ice Devimon!" Terriermon told him.  
  
"That must mean Rika's there too!" Henry sighed. "Let's go, I need to talk to her."  
  
Henry ran towards the digital field, and most likely Rika. Before he could reach it, however, something odd happened. As quickly as the digital field had shown up, it faded away.  
  
"What was that?" Henry asked.  
  
"Guess someone else handled it."  
  
"Was it Rika and Ice Devimon?"  
  
"No, the digimon never fully bio-emerged. Something else was responsible."  
  
"Come on, maybe Rika's still there."  
  
She was still there, standing next to Ice Devimon. She was wearing a long brown trench coat over her normal clothes, hair blowing in a slight breeze.  
  
"Well, well, well, looky who's here," Ice Devimon said, turning to face Henry.  
  
"You," Rika said. "Stay out of my way. You've been warned."  
  
With that, she turned and walked away, coat flapping behind her. Ice Devimon grinned evilly and faded out of sight.  
  
Henry looked around. At first look, it seemed that nobody had seen what had just happened. He scanned around, catching a flash of yellow out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"Renamon?" he asked.  
  
"Where?" Terriermon wanted to know.  
  
He jogged in the direction of the yellow, catching a sight of hair, gold tipped with white.  
  
"No, it's not Renamon, it's that strange woman again! We need to catch her! Terriermon, all we need is a little speed!"  
  
Henry pulled out a card, flipping it in his fingers. He whipped out his digivice, and slashed the card through.  
  
"Digimodify! Hyper Speed Activate!"  
  
With a sudden immense burst of speed, Terriermon blew forwards, circling around in front of Renamon. She turned around and backed up, but found herself in a dead end. Henry stood at the only exit.  
  
"Okay, now it's time for some answers," he told Renamon. "Like who are you, and how much do you know? How about why you look so familiar?"  
  
"I don't need to explain myself to you," Renamon told him. "Now, get out of my way before I have to make you!"  
  
With that, she got into a fighting stance, hands curling into claws reflexively.  
  
"Renamon???" Henry asked, recognizing the stance.  
  
Renamon gave a start, and looked around frantically. A fire escape! She leapt up, grabbing the ladder and climbed up quickly. She reached the first level, and pulled the ladder up, cutting Henry off. She continued to the top of the building, and fled, hopping across buildings.  
  
"Rika was there, with that foul Ice Devimon," Renamon told herself. "I can't believe it. She has to see that everything he stands for is wrong!"  
  
She sat down on the roof, head in her hands, thinking.  
  
"She's. confused. She doesn't know what her feelings about me are. If I could just talk to her, I know she'll come around. I just have to get her away from Ice Devimon."  
  
She got to her feet, resolve steeled. She headed over towards Rika's house, hoping to talk to her, hoping she had gone home after the digital field had vanished. She found Rika's house, and knocked on the door. Rika's mother answered.  
  
"Yes? Can I help you? Like, with some clothes that aren't quite as last year?"  
  
"Umm, yes, hello. I'm, uh, a new teacher at Rika's school. I was wondering if I could speak to her?"  
  
"She's not here right now."  
  
"Well, just tell her Miss Namon showed up."  
  
"I'll do that," Rika's mom said, closing the door.  
  
Renamon cursed her bad timing, and walked away from the house. Night soon fell, and she curled up for another night in the woods. Renamon had one dream that night. It was Rika. Renamon went running up to her back, and Rika turned around. Her body was white as ice, arms distended, eyes cold and dead. She had become exactly like Ice Devimon. Renamon woke up screaming.  
  
******  
  
The next day, Henry met Takato outside of school. Takato was staring off into the distance, apparently lost in thought.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing out here? Have you taken up bird watching or something?" Henry asked.  
  
"I was just thinking of Renamon, wondering where she could be."  
  
"You'll never believe this but." Henry paused, thinking about the right way to say it.  
  
"What is it Henry?"  
  
"Well, you remember that strange woman we saw after Ice Devimon?"  
  
Takato nodded. "Yeah, what about her?"  
  
"I think she's Renamon."  
  
"What? You mean, like a disguise or something? Wow, that's really good. I would have thought she was a real human."  
  
"No, you're missing the point. That wasn't a disguise! That was Renamon as a human!"  
  
"You can't be serious!"  
  
Takato caught the look on his friend's face.  
  
"Of course you're serious. Is that why she didn't show up to fight Ice Devimon?"  
  
"Yeah," Henry agreed. "If she had shown up, Rika might not have gone with him. The question is, what turned her human?"  
  
"I just realized something!" Takato blurted out.  
  
"What?" Henry asked  
  
"I said she was cute! I can't believe it, I said Renamon was cute!"  
  
"What did you just say, Ta-ka-to?"  
  
Takato's friend Kazu came up behind him, Kenta tagging along as usual.  
  
"Did you just say Renamon's cute? Dude, she's a picture on a card!"  
  
"Umm," Takato said thinking. "Henry?"  
  
He looked to his friend for help, but Henry was already walking away, and he only faintly caught their conversation.  
  
"She's more than a picture on a card! She's real! Digimon are real!"  
  
"Real digimon? Who are you trying to kid here, pal? You're a loser and a liar!"  
  
"I am not!"  
  
"Ha ha ha!" Kenta said. "Yeah, and I've got the Loch Ness monster in my bathtub. You want to see him? Show me a real digimon."  
  
"I will!"  
  
"Give it up," Kenta continued.  
  
"I'm not lying!"  
  
"Okay then, prove it," Kazu challenged.  
  
"Well."  
  
"Hey, come on, Nessie's waiting!" Kenta told him.  
  
"All right, you asked for it and you're going to get it! Follow me!"  
  
Kazu and Kenta looked at each other.  
  
"All right," they said together, following him.  
  
******  
  
A short time later, once again a strange fog settled by the bridge. Another digimon was bioemerging. Knowing Rika wouldn't miss such an opportunity, Renamon shoved her way through the crowds of people in a rush to get there.  
  
The digital field had covered a large section of the road, but nobody seemed to notice anything truly out of the ordinary was going on. Renamon stepped into the fog bank, shielding her eyes. Renamon recognized the digimon as a Musyamon, even before Takato and Guilmon showed up and analyzed it.  
  
"Woah, it's the samurai master Musyamon! A Champion level, wizard type. He can slice and dice an entire city with his Shogun Sword." Takato read the information off of his digivice.  
  
"Vengeance is mine!" growled Musyamon, rushing at Takato and Guilmon, his huge sword held behind his head. He brought the sword down in a massive chop, but Takato and Guilmon got away.  
  
Takato pulled out a card and his digivice. Slashing the card, he called out, "Digimodify! Hypersonic Activate!"  
  
Guilmon circled around Musyamon at super-speed. The samurai digimon held his sword level at his side, swinging it at the red reptile. Guilmon jumped out of the way of the slash, and kicked Musyamon away with both feet. Takato pulled out a second card.  
  
"Digimodify! Mega Pyro Sphere Activate! Let him have it!"  
  
Renamon knew what was happening, Takato was trying to use a combination on Musyamon. The question was, where was Rika? She and Ice Devimon should have been there by now.  
  
Guilmon powered up a fireball in his mouth, supercharged with energy from the card. He loosed it at Musyamon, who jumped back, avoiding the blast.  
  
"Taking orders from a human?" Musyamon taunted. "Pathetic."  
  
He charged at Guilmon, trying to impale the digimon with his sword.  
  
"Oh, boy," Guilmon said, sidestepping the sword right into a kick from Musyamon.  
  
"Hey, come on, you can't give up now! You can do it!"  
  
Henry entered the digital field with Terriermon. He spotted Musyamon, who was trying to dislodge Guilmon. Guilmon had Musyamon's arm in his mouth.  
  
"Fight me, you human coward!" Musyamon yelled, shaking off the digimon.  
  
Takato pulled out a third card, and slashed this one too.  
  
"Digimodify! Hyper Wing Activate!"  
  
Guilmon grew wings and leapt backwards away from another slash by Musyamon.  
  
"Something doesn't feel right," he said, going too far back due to the buoyancy provided by the wings. Takato was trying anything to get a combo. Rika would never make such a stupid mistake, Renamon thought.  
  
Musyamon slashed at Guilmon again. Guilmon jumped over the sword, landing on Musyamon's shoulders, bouncing off, and soaring into the sky.  
  
"I can't stop!" Guilmon cried.  
  
"Is that the best you got?" Musyamon taunted.  
  
"That's the best those two losers have. Unfortunately for you, I'm several steps ahead of them."  
  
Rika stepped out of the fog surrounding the battle site, Ice Devimon materializing beside her.  
  
"What's this? Another digimon who's a slave to a human?"  
  
"I am no slave," Ice Devimon told Musyamon. "Rika is my master because we both say it is so."  
  
"Bah! Humans are a scum that I will see eliminated! Starting with your Master over there!"  
  
With that, Musyamon charged at Rika, aiming a slash at her neck.  
  
"I don't take kindly to threats to my Tamer," Ice Devimon said, drawing his white claws back.  
  
Whipping aside her trench coat, Rika pulled out a card and her digivice.  
  
"Digimodify," she sneered. Renamon winced at the malice she heard in Rika's voice. Ice Devimon's influence was growing stronger. "Speed Activate."  
  
Ice Devimon shouted "Frozen Claw!" as his claw extended rapidly, chopping at Musyamon's sword. It broke into two, the two pieces dissolving into data. Another chop to Musyamon's neck sent the samurai master flying. Ice Devimon leaped forward, wings gliding him across the distance. He picked up Musyamon in his claws and flung him high into the air.  
  
"Pull," Rika chuckled, getting another card ready. "Digimodify, Power Activate."  
  
"Tundra Freeze!" Ice Devimon yelled, firing a blue beam from his eyes. It flowed over Musyamon, transforming him into a block of ice. Ice Devimon launched himself into the air, holding his hands together.  
  
"Frozen Claw!" he shouting, bringing his fists down onto Musyamon. The ice block and Musyamon together crashed into the ground, both breaking into a million pieces. The pieces of Musyamon dissolved into data. Ice Devimon threw his head back, hungrily absorbing what was left of Musyamon.  
  
"What a weakling," Rika sneered.  
  
"Musyamon wasn't weak!" Takato protested.  
  
"I wasn't talking about Musyamon."  
  
Guilmon growled, pupils dilating.  
  
Rika chuckled. "Curb your beast, little boy, before I am forced to do it myself."  
  
Guilmon moved forward, claws at the ready. Ice Devimon went into a fighting stance, but Takato held his digimon back.  
  
Rika chuckled again, turning her back to the other two Tamers. Ice Devimon faded away, and Rika started to walk off. Takato started after her, but Henry stopped him.  
  
"Come on, Takato! The digital field's started to dissipate! Get Guilmon out of here!"  
  
He grabbed Terriermon and they ran from the intersection before the people could see what was happening.  
  
Renamon instead trailed after Rika. Renamon caught up with her.  
  
"Wait!" she said, laying a hand on Rika's shoulder.  
  
Rika spun around, dislodging the hand.  
  
"What are you, some kind of weirdo?" she asked, glaring at Renamon.  
  
"No, it's me. It's me, Renamon! Rika, you have to recognize me!"  
  
"You're clearly delusional, woman. Get out of here before I have to hurt you."  
  
Renamon grabbed Rika by the shoulders, shaking her.  
  
"Snap out of it! You have to resist the darkness!"  
  
She took one hand off of Rika's shoulder, and brought it across Rika's face. Rika's head snapped to one side, and her cheek turned bright red.  
  
"You. crazy witch!" Rika yelled, punching Renamon in the mouth. Renamon fell to the ground, a trickle of blood in the corner of her mouth. Rika fled, trench coat billowing behind her.  
  
Renamon sat there, not wiping away the blood. She felt tears well up in her eyes, and she didn't do anything to stop them. She broke down, tears streaking the blood down her neck, turning some of the fur pink. Rika had completely changed, the darkness inside of her had taken over. Renamon refused to give up hope, though. She knew that she would eventually get through to the real her. 


	3. Episode 12: Where There's Hope...

The next day, it happened again. In the center of a baseball field, another digital field shot from the ground. A hole to the digital world opened up, and three Fly Beemon came out. Ice Devimon dropped to the ground in front of them, Rika watching from behind third base.  
  
"They never learn, do they?" Rika asked.  
  
"Fools, the lot of them."  
  
The Fly Beemon charged at Ice Devimon, shooting their stingers at him. He flapped his wings forward.  
  
"Avalanche!" he yelled, sending spikes of ice forward. They deflected the stingers and peppered the lead Fly Beemon. The spikes blew outward, and the bug digimon turned into data. Ice Devimon absorbed it as the Fly Beemon attacked again.  
  
They shot lightning from the spikes on their shoulders, calling out "Lightning Sting!" Ice Devimon took to the air.  
  
"Frozen Claw!"  
  
With a shout, Ice Devimon sent a claw crashing into the nearest bug, pinning it to the ground. The other claw crushed the digimon's skull, reducing it to random data. Ice Devimon absorbed that too.  
  
Outside, Henry came up to the fence, Terriermon having sensed a bio- emergence. He heard a rustling in the bushes, and caught a flash of yellow in the bushes.  
  
"Renamon," he said. "I know it's you."  
  
Renamon got up from behind the bush, brushing her dress off.  
  
"Rika's in there?" she asked.  
  
Henry nodded. "Ice Devimon too."  
  
Renamon snarled. "He has clouded her mind with darkness. I have to find a way to get her out of it."  
  
"It's all because of you, you know," Terriermon said.  
  
"Terriermon!" Henry gasped.  
  
"No, it's alright. He's right," Renamon said, hanging her head. "I wished myself human to get closer to Rika, but it ended up driving us apart."  
  
Behind the two, the digital field slowly faded into nothingness. Ice Devimon had beaten the last Fly Beemon and left with Rika.  
  
"Yeah, what's the story with that, anyway?" Henry wondered.  
  
Renamon closed her eyes, remembering. "It was strange. One minute I was on the roof, wishing I could be human. The next, some strange voice granted my wish. That's why I wasn't able to come and help Rika."  
  
"And Ice Devimon was in the right place at the right time to make her his Tamer," Henry finished.  
  
"I know I can get through to her, get her to realize her true feelings. Ice Devimon will be a problem though."  
  
"If I thought it would help, I'd offer to fight him. Unfortunately, severing the link like that might do permanent damage to Rika."  
  
"Rika has to sever the link herself, but she can't do that if she still thinks Ice Devimon will give her all she thinks she desires."  
  
"Ice Devimon needs to fail her, and you need to step in. The main problem is, Ice Devimon's hellishly strong. I don't think many Champion level digimon could beat him, with his evil power augmented by having a Tamer."  
  
"If anyone can resist Ice Devimon's temptations, it's Rika. I know it's true. It has to be true."  
  
Renamon shook her head slightly, turned, and vanished once again into the forest. She agreed that not many Champion digimon could beat Ice Devimon with the power of a Tamer behind him, especially with a Tamer like Rika. It would require at least an Ultimate level digimon to defeat that one. Renamon knew that if one showed up, she would be there. She guaranteed it.  
  
******  
  
Henry walked away from the baseball field, Terriermon riding on his head as usual. He was deep in thought, trying to figure out exactly how to help Renamon get through to Rika.  
  
"What's wrong?" Terriermon asked, sensing that his partner was worried about something.  
  
"It's this whole situation with Renamon," Henry answered. "It's killing me that I can't come up with a good plan to help her. I feel so useless right now."  
  
"Moumantai, Henry," Terriermon said softly. "Don't take this all on yourself. Don't forget, I'm here to help, me and all your friends."  
  
"I suppose you're right, Terriermon. Maybe I've been looking at this all wrong. Takato might be able to help, give me a fresh perspective on this."  
  
They continued on in silence, each clearly concerned. Henry thought about his relationship with Rika and Renamon. He and Rika had never exactly been friends; their views on digimon were too different. Rika believed that pure strength was the key, while Henry always thought things out before acting. He supposed they both had much to learn.  
  
"Henry! What's up?" Takato said, running up to Henry. Guilmon was nowhere in sight.  
  
"I was just talking to Renamon."  
  
"How's she doing?" Takato asked. "I hope she's all right."  
  
"Physically, she's fine. Mentally, she's a little fragile. This business with Rika is really tearing her up inside. It was an odd conversation, I'll tell you that. What would you have said?"  
  
"I don't know. Guilmon isn't exactly what you could call a normal digimon, you know? We don't have the most stabile relationship either."  
  
Henry stopped, spotting a strange man in front of them.  
  
"Hey, what's the hold up?" Takato asked, coming to a stop beside his friend.  
  
"Are you Takato Matsuki?" the man asked.  
  
"Umm, yeah," Takato replied.  
  
"That must make you Henry Wong."  
  
"Yeah, so?" Henry asked.  
  
"You were hanging around the Big Guard Bridge yesterday. It's a very dangerous game you kids are playing. I suggest you find a new hobby."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Henry wondered.  
  
"Takato!" a girl's voice called. It was Jeri, one of Takato's classmates.  
  
"Consider this a warning," the man said, pushing his sunglasses back on his face. He turned and jogged away.  
  
"Wait! Come back!" Henry said, chasing after the man. "This isn't exactly normal adult behavior, you know!"  
  
"Jeri!" Takato said, startled at Jeri's sudden appearance.  
  
"I don't mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help it. What were you arguing with Kazu and Kenta about? It sounded like you said you had a real digimon."  
  
"Errr," Takato stalled.  
  
******  
  
A couple hours, and a very strange meeting between Jeri and Guilmon, later, Henry came running up to Guilmon's cave.  
  
"Hey Henry," Takato said.  
  
"I lost him," Henry told Takato, catching his breath. "He's fast, whoever he is."  
  
"What do you think he meant when he said we were playing a dangerous game?"  
  
A loud screech was audible in the distance. Guilmon lowered his head and growled, pupils dilating. He leapt out of the cave and sped off into the park.  
  
"What's that?" Henry asked.  
  
"It's either a digimon, or a train wreck," Terriermon said, dashing off in the same direction Guilmon had gone.  
  
Henry and Takato followed, coming across yet another digital field. In it was Rika and Ice Devimon. Ice Devimon was engaged in a battle with a strange humanoid looking bird digimon.  
  
Henry analyzed the bizarre digimon on his digivice.  
  
"That's Harpymon, with a screech like nails down a chalkboard. Her Wind Seeker attack is strong, but it probably won't do much against Ice Devimon."  
  
Guilmon and Terriermon rushed in to try and help, but Ice Devimon stopped them.  
  
"Avalanche!" he growled, releasing ice spikes from his wings towards the two rookies. They stopped in their tracks, knowing that they didn't want to mess with a pissed Ice Devimon. Harpymon took advantage of the distraction.  
  
"Wind Seeker!" she screeched, sending a razor sharp blade of air towards Ice Devimon's unprotected back. Ice Devimon turned at the last second, batting away the attack with a sweep of his claw. The blade deflected at an odd angle, arching straight towards Rika. She seemed stuck to the spot as the deadly attack streaked towards her.  
  
"Rika!" Renamon screamed, running full speed from behind a nearby tree. She crashed into Rika, sending them both crashing to the ground. The blade flew through the space where Rika's neck had just been.  
  
"What the hell did you do that for, you crazy woman?" Rika screamed, tangled up with Renamon on the ground. As she extricated herself, Renamon spoke.  
  
"Don't worry," she said. "I'll do everything I can to protect you."  
  
Rika blinked, and for an instant, her eyes cleared up.  
  
"Renamon?" she asked, voice breaking. As quickly as Rika had changed, she started to change back.  
  
"Yes Rika! It's me, Renamon! You have to remember!"  
  
"I remember. that Renamon abandoned me! She left me alone! She never cared about be, never loved me like I loved her!"  
  
Renamon's eyes widened as Rika spoke those words, even as Rika's eyes hardened to what they once were.  
  
"Get away from me, you freak!" Rika said, shoving Renamon away and standing up. "Ice Devimon! Stop playing around and get rid of that digimon!"  
  
"As you wish, my dear," Ice Devimon said, bringing his hands in a club onto Harpymon's back. She went crashing into the ground, lying unconscious. The Tamers watched in shock as Ice Devimon dropped to the ground, crushing Harpymon's head with his foot. Harpymon burst into data, which Ice Devimon hungrily absorbed. With the destruction of Harpymon, the digital field dissolved.  
  
"Let's go," Rika said to Ice Devimon. The digimon picked her up in one massive hand, and jumped into the air, powerful beats of his wings carrying them away into the night sky. Henry watched them fly off as Takato went to check on Renamon.  
  
"You all right, Renamon?" Takato asked, offering Renamon a hand. He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. Guilmon came up to them, and started sniffing around Renamon's leg.  
  
"Renamon?" he asked quizzically. "But, you're not a digimon."  
  
"Long story," Takato told the little red digimon..  
  
"Aarrgh!" Renamon yelled, slamming a fist into her hand. "I was so close! Now, more than ever, I know there's hope for her."  
  
As she started to walk away, Takato called out to her.  
  
"You can't do this on your own! Let us help!"  
  
Renamon paused for a second and smiled sadly. She kept on walking into the night.  
  
"She wants our help," Henry said, "She's just too hard headed to admit it."  
  
"Takatomon! I'm confused," Guilmon said.  
  
"Come on Guilmon, I'll explain," Takato said, leading his partner back to the 'cave'. Henry returned home to try and form a plan to help Renamon.  
  
Renamon walked alone through the woods, the night's events playing over and over in her head. The one thing Renamon watched the most was Rika saying that she loved her. For a brief instant, her true self had shown through. With renewed hope, she sat on a nearby hill and stared at the stars in the sky, waiting on a falling star that it might ungrant her wish. 


	4. Episode 13: It's All About The Game

"Ready Guilmon? Digimodify!" Takato said, slashing a card. "Metal Garurumon Blaster Activate!"  
  
"Metal Blaster!" Guilmon cried, launching an ice breath attack at Dark Lizardmon. Dark Lizardmon collapsed to her knees and fell to the ground. Guilmon watched the digimon intently, still in battle mode.  
  
Takato breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Dark Lizardmon was one tough cookie, but you did it!" Takato congratulated Guilmon. That meant one less digimon for Ice Devimon to absorb. It was a small victory, but he took what he could get for Renamon's sake.  
  
"Mmm, did you say cookie?"  
  
"I can't believe you're thinking of food right now."  
  
Just then, a bright light came from Takato's left, growing to blinding proportions.  
  
"What's. going on?"  
  
"Are we supposed to fight them, Takato?" Guilmon asked, referring to the twin helicopters that were the source of the light.  
  
"No! I mean. I have no idea. Maybe we should scram before we find out."  
  
Takato stood there, dumbfounded for a second.  
  
"I want to stay! Make me stronger, make me digivolve!" Dark Lizardmon got out, struggling to get to her feet.  
  
Just then smoke bombs rolled into sight, releasing some strange gas.  
  
"Takatomon!" Guilmon yelled.  
  
"Guilmon, where are you? Guilmon?"  
  
"PLEASE!" Dark Lizardmon cried, advancing on Takato.  
  
Takato cried out in fright, and Dark Lizardmon groaned as cables shot into her body. They pulled her sideways, bringing her crashing to the ground.  
  
"Are you okay?" Guilmon asked.  
  
"Uh-huh," Takato said.  
  
"Well, aren't you going to thank me?"  
  
The strange man that Takato and Henry had seen was there again  
  
"After all, I saved your life. That deserves something. This is dangerous work, little boy. Shouldn't you be napping?  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"I'll ask the questions. Who do you think you are attacking digimon on your own? Do you think this is a game? They are lethal creatures who should be contained. In fact, for your safety, I should take your little red friend there, too." It was the way the man said it, so cold, so matter- of-fact that scared Takato.  
  
"Leave him alone! He's nothing like Dark Lizardmon!"  
  
"So young, so naïve," the man condescended.  
  
"Who you calling naïve?"  
  
Dark Lizardmon groaned, trying once again to get up.  
  
"I don't believe it!" Takato gasped. "She's alive!"  
  
"And dangerous. Maybe I should take your friend. He could become dangerous too."  
  
"No! You'll have to go through me!" Takato cried, stepping between Guilmon and the strange man  
  
"Well, probably more trouble than he's worth, right?" The man walked away, laughing. "Heh, heh, heh, heh. Don't say I didn't warn you, little boy."  
  
With that, the strange helicopters disappeared back into the night.  
  
"Who is that guy?" Takato wondered, watching the ships fly off, Dark Lizardmon in tow.  
  
******  
  
Back at Guilmon's hideout, Takato was about to leave to go home.  
  
"You, uhh, did great tonight, Guilmon," he said.  
  
"Takato?"  
  
Takato paused, about to walk away. "Yeah?"  
  
"I'm getting better, huh Takato? If I keep winning, I'll get stronger, and stronger, and then I'll digivolve again and I'll be able to help Renamon even more."  
  
"Yeah, sure you will."  
  
"Waiting is hard. I wanna digivolve right now. I wonder when I'll change again."  
  
"Change." Takato muttered to himself, remembering how Guilmon changed when he digivolved to Growlmon, became like a whole different digimon. There were some startling similarities. This whole situation with Rika had made him think about it again.  
  
"No more fights!" Takato said.  
  
"Huh? But no more fights means no more data! How will I get strong enough to help Renamon? I thought. you wanted me to digivolve."  
  
"I don't! You'll change!" Takato said, running out into the night. Renamon watched him go from the roof of the 'cave'.  
  
She supposed she could see where he was coming from, having seen Growlmon's berserker rage against Devidramon. It was a shame. Growlmon's superior flame had great potential against Ice Devimon.  
  
Rika had changed, drastically, but Renamon knew the true her was still in there. That much was evident from the incident with Harpymon. Renamon had to prove that she had never actually abandoned Rika. It was easier said than done.  
  
'She never loved me like I loved her,' Rika's words from the previous night were still fresh in Renamon's head. Love was the key. Only love had the power to break through the darkness around Rika's heart. Jumping down from the roof, Renamon landed lightly on the soft grass.  
  
So much had happened in the past few days, so much changing the fabric of her relationship with Rika. Takato and Henry both were major forces for the change of Rika for the better. They had made her see that she wasn't above everybody else simply because she was a real Tamer. She thought back to her battle with Dokugumon, taking a blast from the spider that would likely have killed Rika. It was Rika's love that had caused her digivice to shine, giving Renamon the strength to digivolve to Kyubimon.  
  
At that point, Renamon thought that Rika had finally understood what it meant to be a partner. Maybe for one, brief, shining moment she had, but she continued to see digimon as nothing more than data. The whole situation now didn't help matters any. If she didn't get Rika back to her old self soon, it would be too late, her heart would be twisted beyond redemption. Renamon raised her fist in the air and swore a solemn oath, that come hell or high water, she would not let that happen, no matter what it took  
  
******  
  
The next afternoon, Renamon sat in a tree, watching Rika in class through a window. Rika sat slumped in her chair, barely if at all listening to her teacher. Renamon watched Rika shrug in answer to a question, saw her say something. The class gasped, and the teacher's face turned bright red. Rika smirked, and the teacher pointed towards the door. Rika got up and casually sauntered to the door, leaving the classroom.  
  
'She's getting worse,' Renamon thought, dropping from the tree. 'We need a strong opponent soon."  
  
Renamon made her way through the streets, finding herself in the playground near Takato's school. Night was falling fast, but there were still some children playing. Renamon sat on a bench, listening to the children laugh. She smiled fondly, thinking about life as a human.  
  
"Being human's not so bad, I just wish it could have happened under better circumstances. It's a shame, this new life has so much to offer, and yet all I would like is for everything to go back to the way it was."  
  
Renamon heard an odd howling, and looked around to see what it was. She looked over to the slide set, and saw it was just Takato and Guilmon. They seemed to be getting along better now, which was good. She watched the team walk off, no doubt back to the hideout. Renamon got up and followed along behind them.  
  
Once they reached the cave, Renamon stood outside with her back against the wall as Takato pulled out a box of digimon cards.  
  
"Hey, Guilmon, now that we're back on track, I have all these attacks I want to try. Maybe we should have a team name too, like Awesome Twosome, or Dynamite Duo. What do you think?" Takato said to Guilmon.  
  
Guilmon didn't seem to be listening, instead concentrating on something far off. The ground started to shake beneath their feet.  
  
"An earthquake?" Takato asked.  
  
He stepped outside as a bizarre vortex appeared in the sky. Renamon looked up at it too.  
  
"The sky.." Takato gasped.  
  
"Takato, something's coming," Guilmon said, lifting his head. "A digimon, and it's really big."  
  
Renamon pushed off the wall with a start. This was it, the moment she had been waiting for. A new opponent was on its way, one with the potential to defeat Ice Devimon.  
  
"Take me there!" she shouted, appearing in the doorway to the 'cave'. Takato and Guilmon looked up at her, looked at each other, and nodded. They all knew what they had to do. It was time to get Rika back! 


	5. Episode 14: Tiger Tiger Burning Bright

Guilmon and Takato went running towards the strange hole in the sky, Renamon following behind them.  
  
"Woah, it looks the sky is on fire!" Takato gaped, pausing to look up in wonder.  
  
"Doesn't look like any digital field I've ever seen," Renamon told him, "but let's go!"  
  
They continued running, heading right towards the mysterious building with its two towers. The strange man from the past couple of days was standing there, holding some type of computer device. He turned around as they approached.  
  
"Well, look who's come to marvel at my brilliance," he gloated.  
  
"Hurry!" Takato said to Guilmon, who had started to lag behind.  
  
"I am!"  
  
"Come on, we're almost there!"  
  
"About time!"  
  
"This doesn't look good," Takato said, as an unrecognizable digimon flew into the sky towards the hole.  
  
The man chuckled evilly.  
  
"What the hell's going on?" Renamon asked, watching more digimon go soaring past.  
  
"What's happening? Guilmon, they're all leaving," Takato gasped.  
  
"Takato." Guilmon began, as he felt his body started to be sucked towards the vortex. The man chuckled again.  
  
"Hey, are you all right?" Takato asked, worried about his friend.  
  
"You've got to keep it together," Renamon encouraged the digimon.  
  
"You don't look so good, buddy," Takato said.  
  
"Thanks a lot!' Guilmon protested. "Actually, I am feeling weird."  
  
Guilmon's body once again stretched and phased towards the sky.  
  
"This is bad!" Guilmon said, as more and more digimon entered the sky, heading for the portal.  
  
"It's like some huge digimon vacuum cleaner!" Takato gaped. "What-what is happening?"  
  
Takato and Renamon watched in horror as the digimon approaching the vortex phased once and then broke into data, which then disappeared into the hole.  
  
"Why is this happening?" Takato wondered.  
  
"I have a feeling he had something to do with it," Renamon growled, staring at the man.  
  
"We had no other choice. Let's just say we're controlling an infestation. All vermin must go," the man told them, calmly and coldly.  
  
"But you can't just destroy all the digimon! Guilmon's my best friend!" Takato protested.  
  
"Oh really?" the man asked, walking towards Guilmon and Renamon.  
  
"You should watch out for this little creature, lady," he told Renamon. "It's a foul beast, and it's dangerous."  
  
"Not as foul as you are, and not nearly as dangerous as I can be," Renamon growled, sneering at the man. Guilmon added in a snarl.  
  
"A foolish woman and a naïve little boy. This thing isn't capable of friendship," the man said, referring to Guilmon. "It's nothing more than a dangerous artificial life form"  
  
The man started to walk away, and Takato called after him.  
  
"Wait a minute! That's not true! Digimon are." Takato said, struggling to find the right words. "Digimon are. well they're cool, that's all, and this one happens to be my best friend! Lots of them are friendly!"  
  
Guilmon started sniffing the air intently. He went into battle mode, pupils becoming small black dots.  
  
"Takato. It's coming!" he said.  
  
"About damn time!" Renamon yelled.  
  
A blue streak came out from the hole in the sky. A bizarre light-blue field, cris-crossed by waving lines, streaked the sky itself. A digital field slowly descended from the whole, and began to envelop the building.  
  
"Humans created us, but now we are free," a voice in the sky said, different from the one that Renamon had heard when she became human. "The time has come to claim our place in the real world! You have but one purpose, to serve the digimon!"  
  
"No! You're wrong! Who. are you!?" the man shouted into the sky.  
  
The voice responded, "I am only a representative of those who are to be your masters!"  
  
"I can't let you do this! I will never be a servant to any of you data scum!" the man raged.  
  
"It's because of you that all this happened! I should thank you. You have opened the portal to the real world for all of us!"  
  
"If our worlds overlap, we could all be destroyed!" Takato cried, as the digital field touched the ground, covering the entire building in its fog. "We have to find a way to plug up that hole!"  
  
"After! After the digimon has come through! It has enough power to destroy Ice Devimon! I'm sure of it! This is the chance I've been waiting for!" With that, Renamon ran off into the field, and Takato followed.  
  
******  
  
Henry was jogging in the direction of the hole, Terriermon in tow, when the man passed by them.  
  
"You." the man said.  
  
"Yeah, me," Henry said. "What do you want?"  
  
In answer to the question, the man turned and grabbed Henry's collar, roughly lifting him in the air. Henry struggled to breathe.  
  
"It's your fault!" the man growled.  
  
"Huh? Leave him alone!" Terriermon told him, getting angry at his partner's treatment.  
  
The man released Henry's collar none too gently.  
  
"You're not worth it," he said, walking away.  
  
Henry continued towards the digital field, where he knew Rika and Ice Devimon would be. This could very well be the chance that Renamon needed, the powerful digimon who could defeat Ice Devimon.  
  
******  
  
Takato, Guilmon, and Renamon all stared up towards the top of the building where the digimon had appeared. As they watched, a large shape flew overhead, using its wings to propel itself up to the top.  
  
"Ice Devimon!" Takato said, moving his goggles back to the top of his head.  
  
"That's the way up," Guilmon said, and Takato nodded in agreement.  
  
"Don't go up yet!" Henry told Takato, running up to them.  
  
"Right," Takato said, "We have to let Ice Devimon lose first."  
  
"Is Rika here?" Henry asked.  
  
"Of course I'm here," Rika said from a short distance away. She was still wearing her long trench coat. "Two stupid wannabe-Tamers, two pathetically weak digimon, and a delusional woman. I don't know why you even bothered to show up. Ice Devimon has got this one completely under control."  
  
"That's what you think," Renamon said, arms folded across her chest.  
  
"Shut up, you freak," Rika hissed, pulling out her digivice. She started watching the roof through Ice Devimon's eyes.  
  
Ice Devimon scanned the roof, looking for his new opponent. He licked his lips in anticipation of absorbing this one's data. It just had to show up. He looked around the roof, claws at the ready.  
  
"Come on, you piece of." Rika said, watching the display intently. "There you are."  
  
On the display, a large head appeared, resembling that of a great tiger, except for the three horns on its head. As its entire body came into sight, they all saw that it had round shields seemingly hovering a few inches away from its thighs, each with a large spike in the center. On its back were two tiger-striped wings.  
  
It growled as it charged at Ice Devimon, mouth open wide to bite into the fallen angel. Ice Devimon twisted his body away, and the tiger digimon's mouth bit empty air. The tiger recovered and rammed a shoulder into Ice Devimon's side, sending him sprawling.  
  
"Get up," Rika sneered. "Get up now!"  
  
The tiger digimon pressed its advantage, jumping onto Ice Devimon's chest and going for the neck with its jaws. Ice Devimon struggled from side to side, avoiding the snaps of the tiger's jaws.  
  
Rika growled, pulling out a card and her digivice. "Digimodify, Speed Activate."  
  
Ice Devimon quickly rolled out from under the tiger, slamming a claw into its side. The digimon stumbled to one side and roared in anger. It spun around, tail transforming into nun chucks.  
  
"Samurai Tiger Tail!" it growled, smashing its now solid tail into Ice Devimon's legs, tripping the ice demon. The next shot from the tail crashed into Ice Devimon's head.  
  
"Come on, damn you! You can beat that thing, I know you can! Show that tiger your power!"  
  
"I pity you, you know that?" Renamon said.  
  
"What?" Rika howled, turning angrily towards Renamon.  
  
Back on the roof, Ice Devimon struggled to his feet under the relentless blows from the tiger's tail. He jumped into the air, flapping his wings forward.  
  
"Avalanche!" Ice Devimon screamed, releasing ice spikes towards the tiger digimon. It jumped forward, and the spikes thudded harmlessly into the roof. Another blow from the tiger's tail sent Ice Devimon crashing to the ground.  
  
"I pity you," Renamon said. "You think that brute force is the key to true strength. It is only the path to darkness."  
  
"Power is the only way to gain strength!" Rika exclaimed.  
  
"That's not true," Henry disagreed. "True strength comes from the heart, not the muscles."  
  
Ice Devimon struggled to get back up. He fired an ice beam from his eyes, with a shout of "Tundra Freeze!" The beam washed over the tiger, and ice crystals started to form on its fur. It charged at Ice Devimon despite the freezing cold, lifting its tail above its head.  
  
"Armored Tiger Tail!" it roared, transforming the tip into a massive metal spike, which the tiger thrust towards Ice Devimon's torso.  
  
"Have you forgotten where real strength comes from? Have you forgotten about friendship, compassion? Love?" Renamon asked.  
  
"I believed in love once," Rika said, scowling, "but then it stabbed me in the back. It deserted me."  
  
"I never left you," Renamon said, moving towards Rika. "You have to understand that. It's me, Renamon."  
  
"NO!" Rika screamed. "Renamon abandoned me! I loved her, and she just left!"  
  
Ice Devimon broke off his attack, and caught the tiger digimon's tail in both claws as it sped towards his chest. Grabbing on tight, Ice Devimon began to turn in place, lifting the tiger into the air. Ice Devimon continued to speed up, sending the tiger through the air in a large circle. The icy digimon then released his hold, and the tiger went flying.  
  
"I would never do that to you Rika," Renamon said. "Because I. I love you too!"  
  
Ice Devimon drew back his claw, ready to send it at the tiger. 'Frozen!" he started, abruptly falling to one knee. He dropped kneeling to the roof, and looked down to see a gaping hole in his chest. The tiger's attack had connected.  
  
Rika's eyes began to soften again. "Renamon." she said faintly.  
  
"Yes," Renamon said softly. "I've been here all along."  
  
Ice Devimon could do nothing as he watched data evaporate from his wound. He let out a strangled cry as his body began to break up. His cry turned into a scream as his body exploded into the data that had formed it.  
  
"Damn you Rika! NOOOO!" were his last words before he vanished completely.  
  
Sensing Ice Devimon's defeat, Guilmon and the others dashed towards the building. They still had to deal with the tiger, and they didn't want to bother Rika and Renamon.  
  
"Renamon." Rika said again, feeling the link to Ice Devimon sever and shift. Rika's knees buckled, and she started to collapse, but Renamon rushed forward and caught Rika in her arms.  
  
"I love you, Rika," Renamon said, smiling tenderly down at her Tamer, her beloved.  
  
"And I love you, Renamon, but I don't know how you could ever forgive me for what I did to you, what I said," Rika said back, sobbing. "I thought you were gone for good."  
  
Rika buried her face in Renamon's chest, her tears matting the fur. Renamon reached up and stroked Rika's hair with a three-fingered hand. She lifted Rika's head and wiped a tear from her eye with a claw.  
  
"Of course I forgive you. And, Rika," Renamon said softly, "I will never leave you, I promise."  
  
Rika smiled affectionately, and Renamon hugged her, bringing her in close. Rika laid her head on Renamon's shoulder, and they held each other in an intimate embrace. As Gargomon shot up towards the top of the building, Renamon looked into Rika's eyes, and knew that everything was right with the world once more. 


End file.
